Index

Asus U30S measures 32.8 x 23.8 x 2.00 cm (W x D x H) and weighs more than 2kg. It might not be the most compact among its 13’’ brethren, but it has much to offer. Generally speaking, the laptop is pretty sleek and its surface is made of brushed aluminum.

The LED backlit display supports 1366x768 resolution and plays 1080p video just fine, but we hate the fact that it's a glossy screen as it doesn't do well under direct sunlight, or in well-lit environments. We would have preferred a matte panel. Viewing angles aren’t perfect but the person next to you can see the picture quite well.

The device comes with a 4-in-one card reader on the front (SD/ MS/ MS Pro/ MMC). As you can see, LED lamps are on the front as well (power indicator, battery charge indicator, drive activity indicator and bluetooth/wireless indicator). Wireless On/Off switch is in the left corner on the front.

Asus U30S has Altec Lansing speakers which are pretty loud considering the size

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Keyboard

Asus U30S has a nice and roomy keyboard that is definitely well suited for longer typing sessions.

The palm rest is made of brushed aluminum.

The On/Off key is above the keyboard to the right.

Touchpad

The touchpad is quite large and supports multi touch. As you can see, it looks pretty nice.

Connectivity and Ports

As you can see from the picture below, the power-in (DC) connector is on the right side of the laptop. The same side holds optical DVD-RW drive, one USB 2.0 connector, and Gigabit LAN port (RJ-45).

The second and third USB 2.0 connectors are on the opposite side. Note that Asus U30SD does not have USB 3.0 connectors.

Asus U30SD comes with one HDMI and one VGA out. Let’s not forget the microphone, headphone and Kensington lock port as it is still there. U30SD only has one air outlet, the one you see on the picture above.

Bottom and the Battery

Bottom of the laptop is made of black plastics and it is possible to replace hard drives or memory. Although lack of outlets on the bottom means that longer operation will make it warmer, the keyboard side of the laptop remains cool.

The fan can be clearly heard and although it’s not overly loud in 2D work, it’s still loud enough to bother someone sitting close in a library. Asus could have done a better job with RPM management because the difference in 2D and 3D loudness is very small.